Germany Travel Guide
7/01/2008 at 9:20 AM
Tags: Air Berlin, Low Cost Carriers, LCCs, Europe Travel (all tags)
German low cost carrier Air Berlin has added its name to the growing list of airlines who think it's a fun idea to make passengers pay extra for stuff.
That's airline life these days, and we're getting used to it. But that doesn't mean we're going to like paying Air Berlin's €10 (more than $15) charge for booking online. We're pretty sure online booking is the cheapest way for Air Berlin to actually get customers, making this seem like one of the most unfair fees we've heard about lately.
Air Berlin also thinks that answering telephone calls is a costly affair and is increasing the surcharge added to phone bookings from €16 up to €20 ($32). With a bunch of flights going for just €29, we really feel these extra charges are a kick in the stomach... or a reason to fly another airline.
Related Stories:
· Air Berlin [Official Site]
· Air Berlin to Introduce 10 Euro Booking Fee [Peanuts]
· Air Berlin Goes (Almost) Everywhere [Jaunted]
[Photo: Andrei Dimofte]
by amandak
6/23/2008 at 5:34 PM
Tags: Jessica Bruinsma, Hiking, Outdoor Travel, Google Maps (all tags)
Jessica Bruinsma got lost in the Bavarian Alps a few days ago and then fell 16 feet onto a rocky overhang. Rescue workers scouring the mountains near Berchtesgaden, Germany couldn't find her and were likely losing hope. But Bruinsma had the brains to attach her bra to a supply line she'd stumbled upon--and notify some lumberjacks that she was nearby.
Only hours after Bruinsma sent the slinky signal, rescuers helicoptered in to pick her up. She's headed back to her hometown of Colorado Springs in a few weeks--where her family promises to throw her a bra-laden welcome home party.
Related Stories:
· Colorado Hiker Uses Sports Bra to Send SOS [RMN]
· Sports Bra Saves US Hiker in German Alps [AP, via Google]
· Jessica Bruinsma [Facebook]
· Google Maps/Where Was... coverage [Jaunted]
by pbb
6/05/2008 at 3:30 PM
Tags: Germany Travel, Crime, Dangerous Travel (all tags)
Forbidden food?
Germany's Spiegel magazine warns that the neo-Nazi scene in the country is thriving. The shocking report says:
Arson attacks and racist assaults by right-wing extremists are part of everyday life in parts of Germany.
Violence against foreign-owned businesses has gotten so bad in certain areas that insurance companies are refusing to cover kebab stands and other ethnic fast food joints.
According to Spiegel, one Nazi group evolved out of a group of soccer hooligans. Other Nazi factions reportedly have been trying to clean up their image with environmental activism and other public campaigns. Germans who stand up to the Nazi thugs claim that they have faced widespread intimidation and harassment.
Could random acts of violence start scaring tourists away? "Living history" is just fine at, say, Colonial Williamsburg, but somehow we doubt walking down Third Reich Memory Lane will work in Germany.
Related Stories:
· Extremist Violence the Norm in Parts of the Country [Spiegel]
· Dangerous Travel coverage [Jaunted]
[Photo: Alex Kehr]
by Hunter Walker
4/17/2008 at 9:30 AM
Tags: Toilets, Bathrooms, Airplanes (all tags)
It seems like an idea that's been a long time coming, but a German manufacturer is ready to put men's urinals into airplanes, including 747s and A380s. Apparently they've realized that not only is it a smart idea to reducing queuing time in flight, but statistics show that the majority of coach passengers are men.
The new one-man urinal cubicles take up much less space than conventional toilets, of course, and they also save water since they don't need to be flushed so regularly--according to the manufacturer. No airline has yet owned up to ordering any, though.
Somehow, our immediate thoughts went to that other common use of airplane bathrooms, joining the mile high club. But if these cubicles are even smaller than regular toilets, it'll have to be a mile high club for highly acrobatic passengers.
Related Stories:
· Urinals on Planes [Ananova]
· Silverjet's Inflight Girl on Girl Lav Action [Jaunted]
· Toilet Coverage [Jaunted]
[Photo: markhoestra]
by amandak
4/10/2008 at 9:45 AM
Tags: Knut, Flocke, Animals, Zoos, Germany Travel (all tags)
We're trying to ween ourselves off cute-polar-bears-in-German-zoos stories but... they're just so damned cute. We get it that the Berlin Zoo's poor Knut now has a personality disorder but we just can't stop!
Flocke, which means snowflake, is the new Knut. She's the new star of the Nuremberg Zoo in southeastern Germany and like Knut, she's been hand-reared by zoo-keepers. (Apparently her mother tried to drop her down some stone stairs.)
Given that the Berlin Zoo admits to earning nearly $8 million from Knut last year, the Nuremberg Zoo will be looking for people like us to fork out for Flocke merchandise and extra zoo visits, too. Will we give in to temptation? We're hoping to stop at some gratuitously cute pictures.
Related Stories:
· Move Over Knut [Reuters]
· Polar Bears With Personality Disorders [Jaunted]
[Photo: indio]
by amandak
4/02/2008 at 11:07 AM
Tags: Holocaust Travel, Memorials, World War II Travel, History (all tags)
On March 22, 1933, the first Nazi concentration camp opened in the German town of Dachau, just north of Munich. Today, 75 years later, the grounds of the camp are a memorial to the hundreds of thousands of people imprisoned there until its liberation in 1945.
Among the many people who have gone to see the historic site was James Shiels, who was a 19-year-old Army private when his division rolled into Dachau. He recently spoke with NPR about the decision to go back:
My son is really... He was the one that got me going... He asked me one day if I'd like to go back there, and the more I thought of it... I thought it was the greatest idea and we found a tour.
Other places in Europe also have Holocaust memorials, including Auschwitz-Birkenau, Buchenwald, Mittelbau-Dora and Berlin.
Related Stories:
· Remembering the Horrors of Dachau [NPR]
· Amazing Race at Auschwitz-Birkenau [Jaunted]
· Visiting the Anne Frank House [Jaunted]
[Photo: domake.saythink]
by pbb
3/31/2008 at 9:35 AM
Tags: Bruno the Bear, Bears, Germany Travel, Museums (all tags)
We've been trying to let poor ol' Bruno the Bear rest in peace since he was killed in Bavaria after famously being the first wild bear to enter Germany since 1836.
But we just have to mention that Bruno the Bear has finally become a permanent part of the tourist landscape in Germany. As promised, a well-stuffed Bruno is now on display in the Museum of Man and Nature inside the Nymphenburg Palace near Munich. The realistic-looking diorama opened last Thursday and the nice thing is you can get into the museum for just €2.50 ($4).
And while we're pleased that Bruno can take a rest now, we don't want you to forget that if you're traveling through western Austria this summer, you might catch some of the location shoot for the movie based on Bruno's story. If you think we're champing at the bit to visit Bruno in the museum, just imagine how much we're dying to see this film.
Related Stories:
· Famous Stuffed Bear Goes on Display [Spiegel]
· The Belated Return of Bruno the Bear [Jaunted]
· We Can't Believe the Bear is Loose [Jaunted]
[Photo: Spiegel]
by amandak
3/28/2008 at 9:35 AM
Tags: Knut, Animals, Zoos, Germany Travel (all tags)
It won't take you long to think of a few celebrities who've had trouble dealing with fame. Apparently, the same problems can occur in the world of polar bears. And that's why the biggest tourist magnet ever at the Berlin Zoo, abandoned polar bear Knut, might be taken out of the limelight soon.
Turns out that Knut has gotten so addicted to the adoration of the public that he can't survive without it. For example, the zoo closed for a day recently due to bad weather, and he howled and screamed the hours away until his fans returned. If there are no people near him, Knut becomes distressed and angry.
Some of the staff at the Berlin Zoo are considering sending Knut to a smaller animal park where he gets less attention, but presumably the attention would follow him. Unless he gets smuggled anonymously. If you find a cute (but slightly psycho) polar bear in your backyard soon, let us know.
Related Stories:
· Polar Bear Knut Addicted to Fame [news.com.au]
· Polar Bear Travel: Knut The Movie [Jaunted]
[Photo: Sacred Destinations]
by amandak
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